Kucherov’s consistency, historic pace takes lead in NHL scoring race

People are talking.

And they should be.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov is on a grand pace (again) this season, one the NHL hasn’t seen in 30 years—Kucherov has scored 104 points over his last 50 games since Nov. 18. 

His offensive boon has allowed the 32-year-old Lightning forward to charge past Edmonton Oiler Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon as the league leader in offense this season with 120 points in 66 games.

Kucherov last week claimed the top spot in league scoring in 2025-26 after winning the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s offensive leader in each of the past two seasons.

“He does everything well,” teammate Brandon Hagel said. “He plays defense, he works hard, he gets on the forecheck, he gets pucks back, he creates plays, he slows the game down and he makes the five guys on the ice a better player. That’s tough to do when you’re one player, but he does it every night. Every time you step on the ice with him you’re a better player from the two defensemen to the two forwards he’s playing with.”

Kucherov leads the NHL in assists (80) this season and has scored 14 points over his last five games. Just last week he was named the league’s First Star of the Week.

The winger recently surpassed Daniel Alfredsson (713) for the ninth-most assists by a right winger in NHL history.

On Nov. 12, Kucherov held 14 points through his first 14 games of this season, 18 points back of Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (32) for the league lead. The Lightning assistant captain has sprinted to a league-best 106 points in his 53 games since then.

He even mixed in his first career shorthanded goal last weekend as part of a four-point night to help Tampa Bay beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-2.

“There’s no words, simple as that,” defenseman JJ Moser said of Kucherov. “He does it every night and it’s not even talked about enough how impressive it is to perform like this night after night. There’s simply no words for that.”

Kucherov scored 144 points in 2023-24 to win the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer before claiming the award for a second straight season in 2024-25 with 121 points.

He can become the seventh player in NHL history to win three consecutive Art Ross Trophies, joining Wayne Gretzky, McDavid, Jaromir Jagr, Phil Esposito, Gordie Howe and Guy Lafleur.

“I don’t think about it too much,” Kucherov said of the award. “Our goal is a Stanley Cup, and I think that’s what we’re focusing on here.”

‘He’s the best player in the world'

The fact that he’s in the scoring discussion after a historic few months is no accident, and his teammates will tell you he spends more time perfecting his craft than any other player. Kucherov holds himself to a high standard and is always looking to improve.

"I think it's just the love for the game I have,” Kucherov said. “I like to study, I like to watch the players on different teams and add to my game what they have and just be consistent as much as I can and just try and go out there and help my team, play the right way and execute."

That execution has been on full display this season, putting Kucherov in the discussion for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player to their team.

Every person in the Lightning locker room will tell you firsthand that Kucherov deserves that kind of recognition leaguewide with the second Hart Memorial Trophy of his career (also: 2019).

“It’s easy to think, ‘Oh, he’s just gifted, he’s just talented, he just sees the game.’ But it doesn’t come from nothing. Nothing in this world comes from nothing, and it’s the same with him,” Moser said. “The amount of work he puts in on little details that you probably wouldn’t even think about–all the rims, all the video analysis where he looks at every player, looks at his tendencies, knows everything, knows the way his stick moves from a timing standpoint, when to give the pass. It’s all little details that very few people even think about, and he just knows it inside and out.”

Forward Gage Goncalves has been taking notes since becoming teammates with Kucherov and was quick to say No. 86 is the league’s best player.

“He's the best player in the world for a reason,” Goncalves said. “He puts all of his effort, all of his mindset into the game, and he's been doing it every single night for a long time now. It's really special to have a player like him on our team, and watching him do it every night, it's awesome to watch.”

Kucherov will look to lead the Lightning to another victory on Thursday when they face the Seattle Kraken, a team that knows well the damage Kucherov can cause—the Lightning forward scored a hat-trick and five points in a 5-1 win over the Kraken earlier this month and is averaging two points per game against the franchise since they joined the NHL for the 2021-22 season.

Kucherov’s 104 points over his last 50 games are the most by any NHL player since Mario Lemieux in the 1995-96 season. He is only the second player (McDavid, 100 in 2021-22) since the turn of the century to score 100 points in any 50-game span.

With Kucherov playing at that pace, another number in Lightning lore hangs in the balance.

Kucherov is now only 23 points shy of tying former teammate Steven Stamkos as the franchise’s all-time scoring leader at 1,137 points. He is already the franchise leader in assists with 717.

“Just his skillset, his work ethic, his appetite to be the best player in the league and how much time he puts in behind the scenes, it's pretty remarkable what he does,” Jake Guentzel said of Kucherov earlier this season.

“He's a special player.”